Combat 0708 Rg b PDF

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THE BEST IN MARTIAL ARTS COVERAGETHE BEST IN MARTIAL ARTS COVERAGEESTD. 1974ESTD. 1974

KARATEMAKIWARA - Essential or obsolete?KYOKUSHINKAI - Fearless in the cage!

MMAUFC 85: BEDLAM - Bisping storms the capital!KEEP IT STANDING - The sprawl and brawl guide.

TAEKWONDOAIM HIGH! - Develop your front kicking skills.BLACK BELT - You’re never too old, It’s never too late!

KUNG FUSHAOLIN SECRETS - Unlocking the secrets of stamina.WUSHU & THE OLYMPIC GAMES - The ultimate challenge!

MEDIAJET LI vs JACKIE CHAN - In the Forbidden Kingdom.RAMBO - Behind the scenes with Stallone’s stunt double.

LIFESTYLESTEROID ABUSE - Are you dying to get to the top?EDGED WEAPON ATTACK - A no bulls**t guide to survival!

























JULY 2008Vol. 34 No. 7

£3.50

JULY 2008Vol. 34 No. 7

£3.50

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COMMENTCOMMENTBy now I’m sure that most of you will have heard orread about the tragic death of Karateka Brian Philcox(Chairman of F.E.K.O).

More over you will have learned that Brian committedsuicide and at the same time took the lives of his twobeautiful children, Amy and Owen.

Whilst there can never be an excuse for the taking of achild’s life, I would like to share a few thoughts with youabout Brian and some of the very decent, kind things thathe did with his life prior to this tragic incident.

Brian’s first wife Jan, was diagnosed with terminal can-cer and whilst the news was obviously shattering, Janand Brian simply got on with dealing with the situation athand. Brian spent the last 16 years of his married lifewith Jan, at her bedside until the day she passed away.

In memory of Jan, Brian set up “fighting for you”, acharity campaign, which raised thousands of pounds tobuy much needed equipment for the hospital at which Janwas treated.

Following a karate trip to Russia, where he witnessedthe appalling conditions of youngsters in some of theorphanages there, Brian enlisted the help of some of hisclose friends and began collecting toys, which he tookback to distribute to the children.

I know of a great many more good and kind things thatBrian did during his life and whilst I condemn totally thetaking of anyone’s life, particularly a child’s, I would askthat when you remember or think of Brian, please under-stand that no one can possible understand what state ofmind he was in and try to think what it was he had suf-fered to get him there.

Our heart felt sympathy to Brian’s family and Lynn (Amy& Owen’s mother) at this most difficult of times.

God bless - Amy & Owen x

Until the next time.

COLUMNISTSMike Finn

Dan DochertyMichael Tse

William SandersSimon HazeldineDr. James FisherAnton Van Thomas

Chris SamuelKeith Gilliland

Dan GreenDon HeatrickBrian Dossett

Andy HopwoodAndy BryantJohn Graden

Nino Bernardo

Sean VieraPaul Allen

Richard DimitriHelen Stranzl

Mark CortnageKerry Louise Norbury

CONTRIBUTORSPaul BurkinshawMatt SylvesterFrank MensahTom HibbertPatrick RaultCarl FisherMic Clark

Rob Nutley

Neville WrayJim Fung

Leon DoganPeter Lewis

Paul HenneseyIain Abernethy

Alfie LewisIain Armstrong

Julian DaleDanny Guba

Richard ThomasRhee Ki Ha

Steve ProctorNeil Holden

Gavin MullhollandRoss IannocarroCris Janson-Piers

Jeffet Jenkins

4 COMBAT WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK

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ART UNCOVERED

� 236 pages! � 1,100 photographs!� 17 kata in full! � 1-10 Kihon Gumite!

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Wado Ryu Karate, The Complete Art Uncovered, is themost comprehensive book ever published in English onthe Art of Wado-Ryu. The book has 236 pages and includesmore than 1,100 photographs, 17 Katas in full, 1-10 KihonGumite, advanced fighting techniques, kneeling and sworddefence, speed, reflex and power training, basic moves,history, vital spots, exercises, knife and many otheraspects of this fascinating Art. Its author Frank Johnsontrained in Japan with the founder of Wado-Ryu HironoriOhtsuka and was editor of Wado-world magazine. Frankhas a unique insight into the Art of Wado-ryu Karate andthis book is a must-have for any true Wado-ryu enthusiast.

‘I have put all my heart and soul into the book, includingmany techniques I have never seen in print. I wish to give acomplete picture of the Art as i can. In the words of MasterOhtsuka, the secret of Karate is looking for the secret.’This amazing book is selling at only £21.99 plus £3.50 P&P(UK) which includes all deliveries by recorded, 1st class mail.

This amazing book is selling at only £29.99 plus £3.50 P&P(UK) which includes all deliveries by recorded, 1st class mail.

To order your copy of either of the above books, simplyfill in the order form below and send it together with yourchosen method of payment.

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VOLUME 3344 NUMBER 77 JULY 22000088

PUBLISHER/MANAGING DIRECTORPaul Clifton

EDITORIAL TEAM0121 344 3737

SENIOR DESIGNERMark John Davies

GRAPHIC DESIGNKevin Thompson

ADVERTISING/SALESJulie Davies

(0121) 356 7616

HOW TO GET WORK PUBLISHEDTo have your submission published in COMBATcouldn’t be easier. Supply your written materialeither on disc (ASCII), typed or on audio tape.

Send it together with a covering letter and somegood quality photo’s (digital photographs must be

300dpi) to the Head Office (address below).

NEWS ITEMSFor all news related items, simply mark your

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to “CALENDAR” COMBAT Head Office.

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classes for just £5.00 per word for 12 months!, Simplylayout your details (using the current advertisers as an

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or E-Mail: [email protected]

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telephone the Head Office to obtain details, deadlinedates and costs.

DISCLAIMERCOMBAT is published by Martial Arts Publications, Regent House,

135 Aldridge Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham. The publishers reserve theright to reject editorial and/or advertising material as they see fit.

The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicitedmaterial. However, the Publishers will endeavour to return such matterproviding that it is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.Any material accepted by the Publishers shall be revised or altered

should the Publisher deem it necessary to do so. The act of submittingmanuscripts and/or materials shall be considered an express warrantythat such material is original and in no way infringes upon the rights of

others. It is expressly forbidden for any part of the magazine to bereported whatsoever without the permission of Editor / Publishers. The

views or comments expressed in these pages are not necessarily thoseof the editor or Publisher. Distribution by COMAG, Tavistock Works,

Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE.

CONTENTSCONTENTS33333333

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RRRREEEEGGGGUUUULLLLAAAARRRRSSSS7777 ---- MARTIAL ARTS NEWSLINE22220000 ---- LETTERS 22222222 ---- THE NEGOTIATOR - By Aran Dharmeratnam44448888 ---- COMBAT FILM COMPETITION!COMPETITION!66665555 ---- COMBAT GAMER88880000 ---- MIKE FINN - Magic of Martial Arts, part 3111100004444 ---- CALENDAR111155555555 ---- CLUBS DIRECTORY & CLASSIFIEDS SECTION

FFFFEEEEAAAATTTTUUUURRRREEEESSSS

11112222 ---- STEROIDS - Are you dying ro get to the top?

11114444 ---- YOU LOOKING AT ME!Anger - How to manage & control it in a positive & effective way

22224444 ---- KNOW YOUR TERRAINWhat would Sun Tzu do in a situation like this?

33330000 ---- EDGED WEAPON ATTACK!A no bullshit guide to survival

33333333 ---- UNLOCK THE SECRET OF SHAOLIN STAMINA Extraordinary techniques for unleashing the power of the body and the mind

33337777 ---- IAIN ARMSTRONG INTERVIEWPart 2 - MMA vs Traditional martial arts

44440000 ---- WU SHU & THE OLYMPIC GAMESNick Evagorou faces the ultimate challenge

44444444 ---- DONNIE YEN - A lost interview - Part 2

55550000 ---- RAMBO - Retrospective - Part 1

55558888 ---- FROM ACTION FAN TO ACTION MANJude Poyer on what it’s like to live your dream - Part 2

66668888 ---- THE SEVEN RULES OF COMBINATION TECHNIQUES77773333 ---- MY TIP FOR YOU - Significantly increase the speed of your learning

77774444 ---- PAD WORK - Essential training for any martial art!

77776666 ---- CROSS TRAINER - Think carefully - choose wisely!

77778888 ---- WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER?88883333 ---- MARTIAL ARTS PIONEERS - Mitsusuke Harada

88886666 ---- FROM THE DOJO TO THE CAGEGavin Mullholland on how he’s winning the MMA race!

99994444 ---- UFC 85 - Bedlam!

111100000000 ---- KEEP IT STANDINGA Sprawl & Brawl guide for Mixed Martial Arts

111100002222 ---- CONGRATULATIONS

111100008888 ---- PETE MANNING - An old school karateka with modern values

111111113333 ---- TOOLS OF THE TRADEShime Waza - Choking techniques - Part 2

111111114444 ---- THE WAY OF SANCHIN KATA - Arms

111111116666 ---- ADAPTABLE KARATEPart 2 - The three technical stages of Kata analysis

111122220000 ---- THE ULTIMATE TRUTHKyokushinkai knockdown Karate tournaments

111122226666 ---- CAROLINE SMITH - 2007 NAS champion

111122228888 ---- 2008 EU OKINAWA CHAMPIONSHIPS

111133335555 ---- YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!111133339999 ---- NESBIE ALTUN - 12 times Turkish Kyrougi Champion

111144443333 ---- GB TAEKWONDO RETURNS FROM EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH FOUR MEDAL HAUL

111144444444 ---- FRONT KICK111144448888 ---- TANG SOO DO HALL OF FAME

British Tang Soo Do instructor inducted into the Tang Soo Do hall of fame

111155550000 ---- TAEKWONDO IN KOREA - By Rob McGovern

111155552222 ---- I.T.S. FIGHT NIGHT FURY 2008

Visit us online at:www.combatmag.co.uk

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orwww.taekwondomag.co.uk




WWW.COMBATMAG.CO.UK COMBAT 5

VOLUME 3344 NUMBER 77 JULY 22000088

PUBLISHER/MANAGING DIRECTORPaul Clifton

EDITORIAL TEAM0121 344 3737

SENIOR DESIGNERMark John Davies

GRAPHIC DESIGNKevin Thompson

ADVERTISING/SALESJulie Davies

(0121) 356 7616

HOW TO GET WORK PUBLISHEDTo have your submission published in COMBATcouldn’t be easier. Supply your written materialeither on disc (ASCII), typed or on audio tape.

Send it together with a covering letter and somegood quality photo’s (digital photographs must be

300dpi) to the Head Office (address below).

NEWS ITEMSFor all news related items, simply mark your

envelope “COMBAT NEWSLINE” and together with a photograph (if required) and a covering

letter, send it to: COMBAT, Head Office.or E-Mail: [email protected]

CALENDARIf you have a forthcoming event that you wouldlike published in COMBAT Calendar. Send yourentry, giving dates, times, and contact numbers,

to “CALENDAR” COMBAT Head Office.

HEAD OFFICE:COMBAT, 135 Aldridge Road,

Perry Barr, Birmingham. B42 2ET.Tel: 0121 344 3737 Fax: 0121 356 7300E-Mail: [email protected]

CLUBS DIRECTORYAdvertise your club, school, group, Association or

classes for just £5.00 per word for 12 months!, Simplylayout your details (using the current advertisers as an

example) including a good example of yourlogo/emblem if required and send it together with a

cheque to the Head Office. Please mark the envelope“Clubs Directory”

or E-Mail: [email protected]

ADVERTISING DETAILSIf you would like to advertise in COMBAT write or

telephone the Head Office to obtain details, deadlinedates and costs.

DISCLAIMERCOMBAT is published by Martial Arts Publications, Regent House,

135 Aldridge Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham. The publishers reserve theright to reject editorial and/or advertising material as they see fit.

The Publishers accept no responsibility for the return of unsolicitedmaterial. However, the Publishers will endeavour to return such matterproviding that it is accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.Any material accepted by the Publishers shall be revised or altered

should the Publisher deem it necessary to do so. The act of submittingmanuscripts and/or materials shall be considered an express warrantythat such material is original and in no way infringes upon the rights of

others. It is expressly forbidden for any part of the magazine to bereported whatsoever without the permission of Editor / Publishers. The

views or comments expressed in these pages are not necessarily thoseof the editor or Publisher. Distribution by COMAG, Tavistock Works,

Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE.

CONTENTSCONTENTS33333333

99994444

88886666

44448888

11112222

RRRREEEEGGGGUUUULLLLAAAARRRRSSSS7777 ---- MARTIAL ARTS NEWSLINE22220000 ---- LETTERS 22222222 ---- THE NEGOTIATOR - By Aran Dharmeratnam44448888 ---- COMBAT FILM COMPETITION!COMPETITION!66665555 ---- COMBAT GAMER88880000 ---- MIKE FINN - Magic of Martial Arts, part 3111100004444 ---- CALENDAR111155555555 ---- CLUBS DIRECTORY & CLASSIFIEDS SECTION

FFFFEEEEAAAATTTTUUUURRRREEEESSSS

11112222 ---- STEROIDS - Are you dying ro get to the top?

11114444 ---- YOU LOOKING AT ME!Anger - How to manage & control it in a positive & effective way

22224444 ---- KNOW YOUR TERRAINWhat would Sun Tzu do in a situation like this?

33330000 ---- EDGED WEAPON ATTACK!A no bullshit guide to survival

33333333 ---- UNLOCK THE SECRET OF SHAOLIN STAMINA Extraordinary techniques for unleashing the power of the body and the mind

33337777 ---- IAIN ARMSTRONG INTERVIEWPart 2 - MMA vs Traditional martial arts

44440000 ---- WU SHU & THE OLYMPIC GAMESNick Evagorou faces the ultimate challenge

44444444 ---- DONNIE YEN - A lost interview - Part 2

55550000 ---- RAMBO - Retrospective - Part 1

55558888 ---- FROM ACTION FAN TO ACTION MANJude Poyer on what it’s like to live your dream - Part 2

66668888 ---- THE SEVEN RULES OF COMBINATION TECHNIQUES77773333 ---- MY TIP FOR YOU - Significantly increase the speed of your learning

77774444 ---- PAD WORK - Essential training for any martial art!

77776666 ---- CROSS TRAINER - Think carefully - choose wisely!

77778888 ---- WHAT MAKES A GOOD TEACHER?88883333 ---- MARTIAL ARTS PIONEERS - Mitsusuke Harada

88886666 ---- FROM THE DOJO TO THE CAGEGavin Mullholland on how he’s winning the MMA race!

99994444 ---- UFC 85 - Bedlam!

111100000000 ---- KEEP IT STANDINGA Sprawl & Brawl guide for Mixed Martial Arts

111100002222 ---- CONGRATULATIONS

111100008888 ---- PETE MANNING - An old school karateka with modern values

111111113333 ---- TOOLS OF THE TRADEShime Waza - Choking techniques - Part 2

111111114444 ---- THE WAY OF SANCHIN KATA - Arms

111111116666 ---- ADAPTABLE KARATEPart 2 - The three technical stages of Kata analysis

111122220000 ---- THE ULTIMATE TRUTHKyokushinkai knockdown Karate tournaments

111122226666 ---- CAROLINE SMITH - 2007 NAS champion

111122228888 ---- 2008 EU OKINAWA CHAMPIONSHIPS

111133335555 ---- YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!111133339999 ---- NESBIE ALTUN - 12 times Turkish Kyrougi Champion

111144443333 ---- GB TAEKWONDO RETURNS FROM EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS WITH FOUR MEDAL HAUL

111144444444 ---- FRONT KICK111144448888 ---- TANG SOO DO HALL OF FAME

British Tang Soo Do instructor inducted into the Tang Soo Do hall of fame

111155550000 ---- TAEKWONDO IN KOREA - By Rob McGovern

111155552222 ---- I.T.S. FIGHT NIGHT FURY 2008








Until recently the image of themartial artist was probably,one of the average sized ‘’Joe’who was able through his

martial skills to take on and beat theaggressor regardless of their size.However, with the advent of the commer-cially successful MMA, the martial figuresthat parade our television screens are thehighly muscled ‘pound and ground’ expo-nents. As increasing numbers of youngmen aspire to enter the cage, to emulatetheir heroes, the worry is to what lengthsthey are going to achieve the physiquesneeded to compete at top level? It seemsmore and more young athletes are turningto anabolic steroids to quickly add themuscle mass they perceive they need tosucceed in the MMA arena

According to official figures there aremore than 42,000 steroid users in the

UK, but some experts suggest the real fig-ure is probably more than double that.And the type of user has changed withsteroids, once the preserve of bodybuilders, now increasingly used by youngmen not only for sporting reasons butalso for their image.

Just as anorexia among girls seems tobe driven by the size zero celebrity cul-ture so young men’s obsession with bodyimage is being fuelled by images of the‘perfect’ male form. It seems that moreand more young men are using steroids asa short cut to the muscled physiques oftheir sporting heroes.

Anabolic steroids are basically synthet-ic versions of the male hormone testos-terone and work by increasing muscle tis-sue. They are not the same as the steroids

prescribed for asthma and skin disordersor as anti-inflamatories.

It is often the desire for the ‘quick-fix’that leads to steroid taking, when despiteregular weight training, the results don’tappear to come quickly enough,

It is frighteningly easy to obtain thedrugs; injectable steroids are available viathe internet and at £40-50 pounds for 10injections they are easily affordable. Butthe cost to the takers can be immense. Arecent study by researchers from YaleSchool of Medicine suggests that body-building steroids cause a ‘catastrophic lossof brain cells’. The death of brain cells isimplicated in neurological illnesses suchas Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease,which suggests that steroid users putthemselves at greater risk of such condi-


SSTTEERROO

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:41 Page 12

tions and could also account for some ofthe other effects of steroid use such asheightened aggression, which is common-ly known as ‘roid rage’.

Most of the short-term side effects arecosmetic. Men on steroids get oily skinand severe acne on their back, which isoften difficult to treat. They can also losetheir hair, as oversensitivity to testos-terone can switch on the gene that caus-es hair loss. Steroids can also cause achemical change so that they actuallyfeminise a man’s body, making him growbreast tissue and even causing his testiclesto shrink.

Long-term effects are, however,potentially life-threatening as steroids act

to increase blood pressure, which canlead to strokes. They also reduce the pro-duction of good cholesterol, which leadsto the consequence of coronary heart dis-ease, leading to greater susceptibility toheart attacks. Sadly these effects canoccur within just a few weeks of takingsteroids. However, it is the liver, which isparticularly vulnerable, particularly fromthe taking of the tablet form of the drugs,which include an ingredient called C17Alpha, which is difficult for the liver toprocess. This causes the liver to have towork extra hard in order to process thetablets, which results in elevated liverfunction, causing inflammation of theorgan and in some cases hepatitis.

What to look out for:-Any of the following combined with rapidincrease in muscle.

* Severe acne on shoulders and back* Loss of hair* Increased irritability and mood swings* Changed appetite and dietary habits,

for example cutting out all fats andeating largely lean meat

* Personality changes, such as becomingwithdrawn and being obsessed abouthow he looks.

* Obsessive about going to the gym(They would rather miss anything elsethan a training session.


RROOIIDDSSAre you dying to get to the top?

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:41 Page 13

The martial arts can help guide stu-dents towards greater levels ofawareness and development, physi-

cally and mentally, enhancing well-beingwhile uniting mind, body and spirit.Emotions influence well-being. I haveexperienced both the constructive anddestructive capabilities of emotions.Some of those experiences have beendirectly through the training and study ofthe martial arts. One such emotion isanger. Anger not only destroys relation-ships and friendships, it can also destroy aperson’s health. Anger can increase therisk of heart disease, flu, stroke, cancerand depression. Also, self harm, sub-stance abuse and alcoholism have beenlinked to anger, which goeshand in hand with stress.Therefore, anger must be man-aged and controlled in a posi-tive, effective way.

The mental HealthFoundation reported two out ofthree people believe we are get-ting angrier. Have we become an “angrysociety”? If so, why? It seems the cloudsof recession and gloom are drifting uponus as the credit crunch tightens its grip onthe economy. There is widespread unrest.The Police, Job centre workers,Coastguards, driving examiners, oil refin-

ery workers, University and CollegeUnion Lecturers and school teachers areamong those who have recently madehigh profiled protests over pay. TheNational Union of Teachers’ strike wastheir first in twenty one years, reportedlyaffecting one in three schools across thecountry - a blow to 60,000 teenagerspreparing for their GCSEs and A-levels.Union chiefs claimed 190,000 teacherstook part in the strike action that also saw100,000 civil servants in ten Whitehalldepartments stop work and thousandsmore taking part in fifty marches and ral-lies across the country.

Household gas bills have more thandoubled since 2003. Electricity bills are

up seventy per cent. Mortgage costs havetrebled in the past ten years. Higher taxes,rising food and petrol costs, plummetinghouse prices (leaving home owners withnegative equity), banks afraid to borrowfrom one another, a rising number of peo-ple declared insolvent with experts warn-

ing the toll is likely to reach a record high.There’s been hundreds of job losses

and hundreds more predicted as the num-ber of companies running into problems isalso on the increase. There’s also trafficjams, overcrowded public transport, latetrains, trains that don’t turn up, luggagethat doesn’t turn up (Heathrow’s Terminal5), persistent cold-callers and call centresthat make us listen to the complete worksof Richard Clayderman while they keepus on hold and when they finally dospeak to us, they don’t answer our ques-tions. With all the day-to-day irritationsand pressures I’m not surprised there areso many angry people. So many unhappypeople. In today’s world, a positive state

of mind is needed.As a martial artist, I have learnt

the hard way that sparring whilebeing angry is not a good idea.Being angry negatively affected thefluidity of my movement - Ibecame tense, my techniqueswere slower, telegraphic and less

powerful. I did not act/react in the mostappropriate way. My mind and body werenot in harmony, neither was I in harmonywith my sparring partner. I was easilybeaten. The more I was getting hit, theangrier I became and the angrier I became,the more I was getting hit. It was a painfulbut valuable lesson. Keeping hold of theanger was self-defeating and also, how didI expect to control my opponent if I couldnot control myself? I later transferred thisexperience into my everyday life.

When we have bad experiences it isimportant to move on, not to keep gettingangrier and frustrated as that will onlyincrease the harm. Bad experiences canmake us bitter or better. I am aware thatcertain bad experiences will require us toface up to them first before moving on. Ifwe do not, those bad experiences are like-ly to resurface later and the memory couldgrow into an emotions re-experience of thesituation, whereby we live through every-thing that we did not allow ourselves tofeel at the time. What is hidden is thething that is likely to haunt us but whenwe square with it and send it away, we areputting a light on in the dark. But thisneeds to be approached with rationalthinking - a calm mind, not an angry mind.


“YOU LOOKIN AT ME”!ANGER - How to manage and controlit in a positive and effective way

‘‘ ’’aannggeerr mmuusstt bbee mmaannaaggeedd aanndd ccoonnttrroolllleedd

iinn aa ppoossiittiivvee,, eeffffeeccttiivvee wwaayy

Anger can create addedenergy in times of danger

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:41 Page 14


By Peter Jagger 5th Dan

TToo rreeaadd tthhee rreesstt ooff tthhiiss aarrttiiccllee mmaakkee ssuurree yyoouu ggeett yyoouurr ccooppyyooff ffiigghhtteerrss aavvaaiillaabbllee ffrroomm WWHH SSmmiitthhss && aallll ggoooodd nneewwssaaggeennttss

NST001/01

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:40 Page 6

QUA001/07

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:40 Page 11

WWhhaatt wwoouulldd SSuunn TTzzuu ddooiinn aa ssiittuuaattiioonn lliikkee tthhiiss??

KKNNOOWW YYOOUURRTTEERRRRAAIINN

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:41 Page 24

’’

‘‘

’’‘‘

What would you do ifyou found yourself ina dead end alley atthree in the morning

in the middle of gang town, andyou’re surrounded by a dozenarmed men? This is the type ofquestion so often heard in martialarts schools these days and what thequestioner usually wants to know ishow to rip someone’s head off. Thecurrent trend is to judge a martial artaccording to its combat worthinesson the street. This increasing need toknow what will work on the streetshas spawned numerous personalprotection and close protectionschools and styles invented bybouncers, bodyguards, and the like.Students of these styles can restassured that what they are learningwill truly work on the street. Theproblem with this approach is that itimplies that the only answer thatmartial arts has to offer about con-flict, is to resolve it with violence.But is this what martial art weredesigned to do? For traditionalists,martial arts are intended to teach, inaddition to physical, mental, andspiritual discipline, basic survival.Man as a species rose to the top ofthe food chain as a result of his wits,an observation not lost on theancient generals of old China. Forthe cunning, to face an enemy inopen confrontation would be afourth rate solution for someone whohas already made three serious mis-takes: Not knowing the territory, notmoving about in secrecy, and notevading a direct attack. It is onlywhen all your strategies and tacticshave failed, that you resort to rippingsomeone’s head off. The followingwill correlate crime prevention andbeing street smart with the writingsof East Asian military strategists to

show that the ancient battlefieldand the modern urban jun-

gle are not so differentafter all.

KKnnooww YYoouurr TTeerrrraaiinnWe are not fit to lead an army on themarch unless we are familiar with theface of the country and its terrain. Weare unable to take advantage of natur-al terrain unless you use local guides.- Sun Tzu

The most important piece of advice is toalways know where you’re going andwhat the local terrain will be. Wheneveryou go on holiday, visit friends, attend anew school, or travel through unknownareas, find out what the neighbourhoodis like. Ask locals, such as shop keepers,bar staff, taxi drivers, police, tourist andtravel agents, questions such as: is thearea known for street crime? Is there alot of gang activity? Do buses and taxisgo there after dark? Is it an area youshould avoid entering? If it is, then don’tgo there. It’s that simple.

SSttaayy AAlleerrttIn social and professional relation-ships, the attitude is the same as that of the warrior, even when there

is no discord. The mindfulness toobserve the dynamic of situations,even in a group, is the art of war. - Yagyu Munenori, The Book ofFamily Traditions in the Art of War.

Keep alert, walk with a purpose, beattentive to your surroundings andprepare yourself mentally for anattack. Think of a plan of action youwould follow if you were attacked.Consider where you could run to forhelp such as the nearest police orfire station. When entering social sit-uations scan the crowd for trouble-makers, the loud and obnoxious, thedrunks, and the brooding loners.Note exits, cull-de-sacks, and alwayssit facing the entrance.

EExxppeecctt TThhee UUnneexxppeecctteedd......


Another alternative when faced by a group of attackersis to play stupid. Say little or nothing and continually nod

your head. Pretend to be mentally unbalanced.

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Whilst I was writing this arti-cle, more cases of fatalknife attacks have hit thefront pages of the newspa-

pers. The case of the police womanstabbed on her doorstep a young teenagerstabbed outside his school, and of coursemost recently 16 year old Jimmy Mizen,who was stabbed to death with a shard ofglass. It hit home to me just how essentialarticles like this are as is the need for peo-

ple to know how to survive an edgedweapon attack.

This article will not bring you dozens ofMartial Arts knife defences, it will bring youthrough all the essential information youwill need to recognise the dangers, under-stand the modes of attack and give yousound strategies, tactics and techniques toavoid becoming a victim or casualty of aknife attack. Too many people have beenwounded, scarred and murdered because of

a lack of knowledge don’t let yourselfbecome one of them!

I have invested 30 years of my life toMartial Arts/ Combat Training and I can sayhonestly that the majority of techniquestaught by the average martial artist todefend against knives are complete andutter rubbish! They will do more harm thangood. Most are unpractical, unusable anddown right dangerous.

I have made a life time study of weapon


The following extract is taken from one of my latest manuals. I decided to write this article in thewake of all the media attention over the recent brutal stabbings and knife assaults on our streets.There has been much outcry over these heinous crimes and quite rightly so. The general public areliving in fear of becoming a victim of this knife carrying culture and I feel the need for soundinformation on a subject that has been sorely mis- represented in the past.

What I have tried to do is write a guide on how to avoid edged weapon assault firstly beforeaddressing last resort physical defence. I wanted to produce something that everybody could learnfrom and not just the experienced martial artist. I hope you find this short article of interest.

Edged WeaponAttack!Edged WeaponAttack!Edged WeaponAttack!Edged WeaponAttack!Edged WeaponAttack!A no bullshit guide to survival

By Kevin O’Hagan

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:42 Page 30

attacks and defences. I have been fortunateto train with many ‘realists’.

Many of my early instructors were CQCinstructors from the Special Forces, Ilearned not only how to defend against aknife but also how to use one. The mottobeing, “ to defend against a weapon, firstlearn its strengths and weaknesses.” I thentrained with frontline staff in the bodyguardand security industry that had faced manyedged weapon assaults and took on boardwhat they had to offer.

I have trained over the years with Israeliand Russian Combat experts who faced thereality of knife attacks in Wartime situa-tions. The teachings were invaluable. I havetaught edged weapon defences to manysecurity/door staff, NHS frontline staff,police and other individuals who may facedanger in the course of their travels or jobs.

I have trained the techniques full con-tact in body armour and protective equip-ment to see what worked and what didn’t.The truth is a harsh and bitter lesson tolearn. But I am glad I went there and did it.

The bottom line is awareness andavoidance is your best weapons against aknife attack. Gathering knowledge is yourbest self protection plan.

In this article I have tried to give youknowledge in a simple down to earth man-ner. What I have written has been takenfrom real life experience, mine and others.No theory, no myth, no bullshit!

DO NOT SKIP THIS SECTION IT CONTAINS LIFESAVING INFORMATION

1 Edged weapons are the most commonlyused instruments for killing or wound-ing people.

2 More than 230 people were stabbed todeath last year from July to September.

3 In incidents of mugging, over half of theassailants were armed with an edgedweapon.

4 Although the home affairs committeehas recommended a minimum 3 yearsentence for youths carrying blades, thegovernment has not yet introduced it atthe time of writing this article.

5 More than 3 times as many people arekilled with a knife as with a gun in the UK.

6 Many teenagers carry a knife as a mat-ter of course.

7 Increases in stabbings are consistentwith the rise of death rates from homi-cide in young man.

8 For someone to die from irreversibleshock from blood loss, they would needlose to lose 40% of their total bloodsupply. Men 5 to 6 litres and woman 4to 5 litres.

9 To be incapacitated or lapse intounconsciousness, a person would needto lose one and a half litres of blood.

10 Stab wounds are normally more fatalthan slash or cut wounds.

11 Knives are easily obtainable comparedto firearms.

12 Knives are easily concealed on ones person.

13 Knives are ‘silent weapons’.

14 You need to be close to a victim to usedan edged weapon.

15 Knives can be easy to get rid after an attack.

16 Humans hold more of a psychologicalfear of a knife attack than by a firearm.

17 A knife attack is up close and personal.

18 It is a criminal offence to carry anyblade with the intent of using it to hurtand harm others.

19 It is a criminal offence to carry anyblade over 3 inches in length.

20 You must have a lawful and justifiedreason for carrying any type of knifeeven a penknife or folding knife.

21 The penalty for posession of an edgedweapon ranges from a £50 fine up to 4years imprisonment.

22 If you defend yourself against an edgedweapon there is a high probability youwill get cut.

23 A small child brandishing a blade is justas dangerous as a full grown adult.

24 Knives don’t misfire or jam, they alsodon’t require reloading.

25 Knives leave no ballistic clues.

26 It takes the average person 1.28 sec-onds to cover 15ft. To survive an edgedweapon attack, distance is crucial.

27 Under extreme pressure of attack, welose 70% of our peripheral vision.

28 Under extreme pressure of attack wehave difficulty focusing on objects within4 feet of distance due to pupil dilation.

29 Under extreme pressure of attack we haveloss of depth perception and can misjudgethe distance between us and the attacker.

30 Under extreme pressure of attackwhen our heartbeat reaches 115 BPMwe lose our fine motor skills. At 145BPM we lose complex motor skills.That is why defensive techniquesmust be very simple using grossmotor skills.

31 30ft is probably the safest distancebetween you and an armed assailant tostart taking sound defensive tactics.

32 The best knife defence is awareness andavoidance.


E.g. some common, others more ingenious:

11 Combat knives22 Craft knives, box cutters,

DIY knives33 Kitchen knives44 Lock and pocket knives55 Scissors66 Screwdrivers77 Bottles88 Glass

9 Meat cleavers10 Tradesman’s tools11 Glass ashtrays12 Ripped soft drinks can13 Hair comb14 Syringe15 Pens and pencils16 Broken credit cards17 Machetes18 Razor blades19 Teeth*This is not an exhaustive list

What constitutes an edged weapon?‘Any implement that can be used to slash, cut, pierce or penetrate a persons body.’

Reherse your techniques again andagain so that they become instinctive

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:42 Page 31

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COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:42 Page 32


When we practice martial artsit’s vitally important that wetrain our minds as much as we

train our bodies. We believe we are theboss of our minds but when our mindsays it wants chocolate, even though weknow we shouldn’t, the next thing weknow we are eating a bar of chocolate. Sowho is in charge? We can’t blame it onthe bar of chocolate can we?

More than two thousand five hundredyears ago, The Lord Buddha said, “It isour mind which makes the world.”

A positive mind has a positive impact onourselves and in turn our family and friendsand this trickles out to the world at large. Idon’t know if there was chocolate in theBuddha’s time but I can guarantee that ourmind was the same then as it is now.

At the Shaolin Temple we use powerfultechniques that have been passed to usdirectly from the Buddha to aid us in ourmartial art’s training. This doesn’t meanthat in order to practice Shaolin we needto be Buddhists but using some of thesemind techniques can help us to approachour training with fresh eyes.

UNLOCK THE SECRETOF SHAOLIN STAMINA

By Shifu Yan Lei

Extraordinary techniques for unleashingthe power of the body and the mind

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:42 Page 33

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COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:42 Page 28


MIND AND BODY STAMINAWhen I studied at the Shaolin Temple, westarted every morning with a grueling runup the Songshan Mountain to theBodhidharma cave then back down thehill, where we would begin our martialart’s training. There were many morningswhen I felt lazy and the last thing I wantedto do was run up the mountain but ourmaster would be chasing behind uswith a stick and we would be beat-en if we were too slow. Over theyears, one of the things I began torealise was that sometimes it was-n’t my body that was feeling tiredbut my mind. Our master wasthere with the stick not just to giveour bodies stamina but moreimportantly our minds.

In our martial arts training it is vitallyimportant that we build two types of stami-na - mind and body. A martial artist’s mindis very important for every aspect of theirperformance. My master gave me no choicebut to run up the mountain and this is whatwe need to do in our training. Set a goaland refuse to stop until we achieve this.

SUPER HUMANLooking back over my training, I realisethat many times, it wasn’t my body whichheld me back but my mind. Shaolin SteelJacket is a good example of that. When Ibegan this training, I doubted whether itwas really possible to hit myself with abrick and feel no pain. Of course, it isimpossible without special instruction and

techniques. It would be like trying to finda street in a strange town without a mapor someone to guide us. But with the cor-rect training, our body can surpass whatour mind thinks is possible. People callShaolin monks “super human” but we arehuman, it’s just we know how to train ourflesh and blood and the most importantthing: our mind.

A FUSION OF BODY AND MINDI feel this is what any martial art is about,an extraordinary fusion of mind and body.And the first thing Shaolin monks do withtheir body is take it for a run. I don’tbelieve that any martial artist can havegood stamina if they don’t run.

BODY STAMINARunningWhen we run and we get tired, some-times it is our muscle and other times it isour breathing. We need to build thepower of our muscle and breathingtogether. We don’t need to count howmany steps we take but we need to getinto a rhythm so our steps are in tunewith our inhale and exhale. The otherimportant aspect is to vary our speeds so

that sometimes we are doing aerobicexercise and other times anaerobic. Forexample we can do five minutes to warmup then two minutes sprint then one min-utes slow then another five minutes nor-mal jogging speed.

Long DistanceWe also need to do at least one long dis-tance run a week. But if we can run eightor ten miles, this doesn’t mean we havegood stamina for martial arts. The onlyway to build this is to continue our train-ing after we have run. This is the reasonwhy all Shaolin Temple trainees start theirday with a run up the mountain and thendon’t stop but continue.

Temple TrainingThe running is just a warm up, a prelimi-nary. Our body is warm and now we beginour real martial art’s training. It’s vitallyimportant that we stretch thoroughly.Running, especially hill running makes ourleg muscles tight so we need to do a lot ofkicks to loosen the tightness of our mus-cles. We start off by doing relaxed kicksand punches building up to using powerand practicing our forms. We also can dosome jumping to strengthen our legs.

At the Shaolin Temple we have no choice.We are never allowed to lie in bed. Buthere in the West, we have many choices.We may start off with a lot of enthusiasmbut maybe one day it’s raining or we feeltired or there’s an interesting film on at thecinema or we don’t have enough time. Thisis when it’s time to employ Mind Stamina.

MIND STAMINAMeditationWhen we are in the temple, wepractice meditation. Many peo-ple think that meditation is sit-ting on the floor in a cross-legged position and trying toempty our minds of all thoughtsbut I feel this is not meditation;this is like being a dead person!There are many types of medita-

tion, I think people give themselves a hardtime, they say ok, now I will be peacefulbut when they shut their eyes the thoughtsseem louder and they don’t feel peacefulat all so they stop meditating all together.

Thoughts are thoughts. It’s what we dowith the thought that is the importantthing. It’s how we react. There are manydifferent ways to meditate but one way isto meditate with positive thoughts. Thiswill give energy to our mind...

‘‘’’

In our martial arts training it isvitally important that we build twotypes of stamina - mind and body

To read the rest of this articlemake sure you get your copy of fighters available from WH Smiths & all good newsagents


Iain, you are known as a very traditional martial arts man,what are your views on martial arts today and is there still aplace for the traditionalist.

In 2008 I think there are two big challenges to the tradi-tional, one being MMA the other being what we might call thecommercial model martial arts club as opposed to the tradi-tional model.

MMA.I think MMA is good. Traditional martial artists can learn a lotfrom watching MMA. It dispels a lot of fantasies and showswhat works and what doesn’t. The stars of the MMA worldmust be some of the best fighters on the planet. Having saidthis, MMA is a sport, its about winning in the octagon accord-ing to a particular set of rules. To fare well in MMA you needto be very fit and highly skilled. It is an elite sport. It lends itsself best to the professionals, or at least semi professionals.

Traditional martial arts will always be a better option for peo-ple who want one of the following:

1 People who want to learn martial arts for self defence,rather than competition.

2 People who don’t want to fight to a set of rules.3 People who want elements of traditional training such as

the character building, philosophy and weapon skillswhich do not feature in MMA.

4 People who can not afford to put enough time into theirtraining to make it as a professional.

5 People who simply don’t have the physical strength, fitnessetc to make it in the now professional world of MMA.

In other words, I think that MMA is a great sport that will gofrom strength to strength but I think that will remain thedomain of the professional. The vast majority of people willfind that traditional martial arts are far more suitable for them.

East vs West.In martial arts, ‘traditional’ generally means following and

respecting the traditions of your school and the examples ofyour teacher. This fits well with Asian thinking, for exampleConfucianism puts very great importance on respect for one’sparents and elders generally. Nowadays, martial arts clubs inthe UK tend to be split between this model and the one whichoriginated in the USA and which is being sold hard by a num-ber of commercial concerns. We might call this the ‘commer-cial model’. The commercial model regards martial arts as abusiness and puts profit first. The objective ceases to be, toproduce good students or build a strong martial arts family,profit is what counts. Schools following the latter model oftenhave no style of martial arts as such and do not even knowwho their teachers learned from. This approach is now verypopular. What I have noticed is that a lot of traditional teach-ers switch to this model, make a lot of money, lose their direc-tion as a martial artist and then their club folds. I think that inthe long run the traditional model will survive for the follow-ing reasons:

1) People want to belong to a school which prides its self inproducing good students, not simply in prising money outof its students.

2) People value the sense of belonging which is found in tra-ditional martial arts families.

MMA Vs Traditional Martial Arts!Last month Iain spoke about his current projects,this month he comments on martial arts today.

Iain ArmstrongThe Combat Interview (Part 2)

weapons are areality in fighting

finger strikes can be effective, but only if you understand veryclearly how and when to use them

finger strikes can be effective, but only if you understand veryclearly how and when to use them

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:42 Page 37

3) People want to be part of a distinguished martial arts lin-eage: they want to take pride in their teachers’ and school’saccomplishments,

Teachers who set a good example by following and honouringtheir own teachers inspire their students to do likewise; thesame applies to teachers with no loyalty who disregard theirown teachers, usually for the sake of money. Thus strong mar-tial arts families are built by following traditional values

A balance will always need to be struck between tradition-al and commercial considerations because bankrupt schoolsdon’t survive but in the long run, schools that disregard thecore values of martial arts will find survival difficult.

Is kung fu still an effective fighting art?It always has been and always will be. The problem is that

most kung fu teachers just don’t know how to use it. This iswhy many people think that it just involves poncing around insilly poses - in many schools it does! Proper kung fu involvesclosing with someone and finishing them very quickly. Themost effective techniques are usually simple and not particu-larly beautiful. If you want to learn to fight, join a fightingschool, if you want to look nice, join a posing school.

Can you be more specific, what sort of things makekung fu so effective for fighting.

I could spend a very long time answering that questionbut lets just look at a few good examples.

Staying on your feet.Anyone who has been involved with fighting - real fighting

that is - knows that the last thing you want to do is go to theground. If you go down you may not get up again. All of thepeople who didn’t have the bottle to get stuck in when youcould look them in the eye suddenly get brave enough to kickseven bells out of you when you are down, you cant see whothey are therefore you cant fight back effectively. Takingsomeone to the ground may be effective in competitions but onthe street it’s the last thing you want to do. All the time thatyou are on your feet, if the odds turn badly against you, youcan do a runner. For myself, when I used to weigh up a fight, Iwould always plan an exit route in case things got impossible.

A System vs a Collection of Techniques.Any traditional kung fu style is a system of fighting which hasbeen tried and tested through some very tough times. If ithad not held together it would not have survived.Obviously some are better than others, but tried and testedsystems work. There are a lot of people around who arejust teaching a collection of techniques, they don’t fittogether into a system, they don’t work together witheach other. This is dangerous!

Touch sensitivity.Many kung fu styles train touch sensitivity: theylearn to feel someone’s movement and react.Reacting to touch is far faster than reacting towhat you see so the fighter who has masteredtouch sensitivity has a huge advantage, assumingthat they know how to use it.

Effective striking.It is important not only to know how tostrike but to know which strikes to apply andwhere. For example, without the protectionof gloves, punching someone’s skull is arecipe for a broken fist...


A young Iain celebrating after aparticularly hard fight the nightbefore. Note the blood trails onthe pavement where casualties

were led out to the ambulances!


Nick Evagorou Faces The Ultimate ChallengeThe World Wushu Championships held in November 2007 was a very special event. It was the selec-tion for the Wushu tournament to be featured at the Beijing Olympic Games! Only the top eight com-petitors from each of three weight categories were going to compete at the Games. Naturally enoughthis attracted more fighters than ever to compete at the World event. One of the fighters taking partwas our own Nick Evagorou who distinguished himself against 28 fighters in the -85 kilo division bywinning the bronze medal - and then only after being defeated by the eventual World Champion andWorld renowned Sanshou fighter - Muslim Salihov (Russia). This is Nick’s story in his own words.

WU SHU& THE OLYMPIC GAMES

Watched by millions all over theworld, the Olympic Games are perhapsthe greatest spectacle on earth.According to the Host City Contract, nointernational or national sports competi-tion is allowed to be held in theOlympic host city one week before The

Games, during the Games and one weekafter. But a Wushu competition has beenspecifically approved by the Internat-ional Olympic Committee and theInternational Wushu Federation hasbeen allowed to host the ‘2008 BeijingOlympic Games Wushu Tournament’.

To be selected to compete in such anevent is a dream come true for any ath-lete! Now I have an opportunity tocompete against the best Sanshou fight-ers in the world and I am going to dothe utmost to turn my dream of successinto reality.

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aanndd II ttrraaiinneedd ffoorr aabboouutt 1188 mmoonntthhss bbuutt iitt sseeeemmeedd

ttoo llaacckk ssoommeetthhiinngg II ffeelltt II nneeeeddeedd

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:43 Page 40

Wushu is a Chinese term which literal-ly means ‘martial arts’. It comprises twodisciplines: Taolu (forms) and Sanshou.

Sanshou (Sanda being its traditionalname) has a long history in the Chinesemartial arts. It literally means ‘free fight-ing’ and is mainly based on barehandone-on-one combat involving both strik-ing and grappling techniques. Sanshoudeveloped in the military through boutsmost commonly fought between soldiersto test both the efficiency of their bare-handed fighting skills and the value of thetechniques. Rules were developed andsafety measures - such as gloves - wereintroduced, leading to its incorporationinto modern Wushu as a full-contact com-bat sport.

I have studied martial arts for 16 yearsand though I fight - I do not considermyself a fighter. What do I mean by that?Well, I do not train so I can win medals atcompetitions (although I would be lying ifI said I didn’t enjoy doing that!). I regardmyself as a true martial artist and mycommitment to training is primarily basedon the need for self-development.

To be both a good fighter and a goodmartial artist, you need to put in hardwork, apply discipline, build determina-tion, believe in yourself, develop confi-dence (but not over-confidence!), acquireskill and learn patience. A bit of lucksometimes helps, too! Whether speakingof martial art, sports or everyday life, thePrime Directive is the same: If you wantto achieve something and be successful -you must never give up!

I began learning karate at the age of11 and I trained for about 18 months butit seemed to lack something I felt I need-ed, so I moved over into athletics. But acouple of years later - at age 14 - I foundboth a martial art and an instructor that Irealised - even at that age - could showme the way I needed to go.

Ren Yi Wu Kwan Tang Sou Dao,founded byGrandmaster MengKwong (‘Louis’) Lokewas that very art andMaster Adam Goward(6th duan) was thatvery instructor.

Seven years laterand I find myself both a 3rd duan in TangSou Dao and an instructor. It’s true that Ihave tried to model myself on MasterGoward’s approach to teaching and Ibelieve that my success has been influ-enced by his teaching methods and hispursuit of technical perfection.

Another tremendous contributor tomy development is my own father,Panayiotis Evagorou. He is a National andEuropean Sanshou Referee who has beenpresent for every one of my Sanshoufights, many times in my corner. He’s

studied various Chinese and Japanesemartial arts himself over the years andholds a black belt in Judo. He has helpedme develop my grappling and throwingtechniques and I regard him as being ahuge influence on my fighting skills.

I was 18 years old when I began train-ing for Sanshou. I was still training hard atTang Sou Dao but I wanted to test theskills and techniques I gained there in a

wider arena. It was thanks (again!) to myfather for introducing me to Ian Armstrongof the Nam Yang Pugilistic Associationwhere I study Traditional Tiger CraneCombination Kung Fu, Iron Shirt ChiKung, weapons, and of course Sanshou.

Iain Armstrong and the Nam YangPugilistic Association are well-knownthrough their Iron Shirt demonstrations aswell as their Lion and Dragon Dance per-formances. We see them every year inTrafalgar Square, putting on a show forChinese New Year.

Iain added the basic foundation train-ing and in-depth analysis of internal energythat improved both the strength and powerof my Tang Sou Dao techniques. His tradi-tional Kung Fu and modern fighting meth-ods allowed me to build on the strongkicks and foot work I developed throughTang Sou Dao, enhancing my boxing, bodymovement and all-round fighting skills.

Nam Yang’s basic foundation trainingis highlighted in its veryfirst form called SumChien (meaning ‘ThreeWars’). Whereas powerdevelopment and under-standing of techniquesare usually taught muchlater in Korean and

Japanese arts, Nam Yang teaches them atthe outset. It’s through the Sum Chienthat an understanding of body mechanics,internal power, routing of your stance, theimportance of breathing and what we call‘springy strength’ is introduced to the stu-dent during their very first lesson!..

‘‘


’’I have studied martial arts for 16 years and

though I fight - I do not consider myself a fighter.

To read the rest of this articlemake sure you get your copy of fighters available from WH Smiths & all good newsagents

So your hero was Bruce Lee?Yeah! I wanted to be the best martial artist possible, and now I

end up being... I watched all the Bruce Lee films, as well asJackie’s. When I first started out doing martial art films, I said tomyself, “Wow! You’re up there now!” Years later I get to sharesome responsibility for promoting martial art to the world. I’mquite honoured by that!

In the Seventies and early Eighties most Hong Kong films wereall about revenge. Despite the great action and fighting in all thosemovies, in terms of characters and stories, they were all the samekind of thing. But you really changed all that with films like ‘TigerCage’. It sort of paralleled Jackie Chan’s migration from films like‘Drunken Master’, ‘Dragon Lord’, ‘Project A’ to ‘Police Story’ -something totally different!

You know I always wanted to be seen as unique in my appr-oach to martial art. I wanted to bring different styles to the screen.

Your style of fighting on screen is unique! It’s not justbutterfly flips and tiger claws but it includes elements ofwestern boxing.

I have to give myself credit for that! Back in the early Nineties,I was the first one to bring that whole Western way of martial artfighting to Hong Kong cinema through ‘The Tiger Cage series’, and‘In the Line of Duty’. This approach hadn’t been seen in HongKong cinema before I introduced it.

The way of fighting in the earlier Kung-fu movies tended to besort of 1 - 2 - 3 - 4, and then block. But I wanted to bring in anew flavour, introduce my own personality to it - and I sawthere was room to do that!

Using Bruce Lee as an example, some of Bruce Lee’schoreography is classically simple but - as I discoveredvery early on - it’s really not the choreography, so muchas the person delivering the techniques. It’s not about the stunts either!

During the time I was with Yuen Woo-ping, we didn’t have thekind of latitude that big players like Sammo Hung or Jackie Chanhad. I mean, they had budgets and could afford to do a hundredstunts. One person ends up in hospital - so send in another! Wenever had that kind of thing and I had to develop and introducemy type of fighting to Yuen Woo-ping. Of course Yuen Woo-pingwelcomed it and we put it on screen!

It was very much a very solo performance as well. The camerafocused in on you - so it was all you! You can see what I’m talkingabout in ‘Tiger Cage 1’.

The choreography with the likes of Michael Woods wasboth new and fresh!

Yes, the choreography was quite nice. Some of those kickswere incredible! You made a 360º turn in the air and you had tojust hang on, thinking that they’re going to cut the shot any sec-ond now. But they didn’t! It was all just one shot.

Things were very competitive at that time because you wereaiming to make a mark against the big movers like Jackie Chanand Sammo Hung. So we really had to come up with both a dif-ferent choreography and a different flavour as well.

How often do you train these days?Well, actually I was downstairs training a little before I went to

take a shower. I try to keep myself in tune rather than in peakcondition. If I think of myself as an automobile engine, I can’taccelerate for 24 consecutive hours because I’m not getting anyyounger! So I try and keep my body in tune, and I also work on

my mind, using it to tune my body up so when I needto perform - then I’m ON!

This is especially important when you’re work-ing on a set. This can involve hours and hours of

waiting around. So you need to know how topace yourself.


DONNIE YENA Lost Interview - Part 2 By Richard Cooper

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:43 Page 44

It can get very boring and you have to dig deep to find moti-vation during those times, while reserving your energies. You can’trun out of gas two hours later! So you have to learn how to paceyourself. You work out in your head how many shots are comingup - perhaps three at one time, followed by a fourth shot fivehours later! You need to know how to keep energy in reserve forthat, so you can perform.

‘Iron Monkey’ was only recently released on DVD inBritain. It’s a traditional Kung-fu film, but it has reallygreat camera work, and filming technology. Were youinvolved in the choreography for that movie?

Absolutely! I was pretty much Yuen Woo-ping`s main man forfifteen years. I was credited in loads of his films as ‘ActionChoreographer’. I remained his right hand man until I formed myown company and started doing my own thing. But all along theline, it was me who always managed to appear different with newchoreography.

During ‘Iron Monkey’, Yuen Woo-ping and I had meetingswhen he’d ask me, “What do you want to do this time?” ‘IronMonkey’ was kind of capitalising on the success of Jet Li`s ‘OnceUpon A Time’ movie.

The ‘Once Upon A Time’ movie was very successful at theHong Kong box-office and the fight choreography set a new stan-dard for audiences. That encouraged me to be very careful con-cerning what we came up with in ‘Iron Monkey’. I remembertelling them, “I think we should stay grounded!” I still believe instaying grounded because for me, the best martial art fighting onscreen comes from the person and not the technology! It’s not thecamera work - it’s the person. That’s why Bruce Lee is still BruceLee. So I told Yuen Woo-ping to forget all the wirework (not thatwe didn’t use any wirework). I said, “Let’s try and concentrate onwhat this character, Wong Kei-ying, was about.”

Wong Kei-ying was a Hung Gar Master. I said, “Let me usethat in my role,” because Jet Li didn’t use it. The original WongFei-hung used all types of animal forms, and Jet Li was more northand south in terms of styles. I remember Yuen Woo-ping replyingthat “They are overdoing the whole animal styles thing in theShaw Brothers movies!”

But Western fans love that kind stuff and that’s whywestern audiences are looking forward to re-releases ofthose Shaw Brothers films.

“Exactly!” I replied. “It hasn’t been done for decades and moreimportantly, I can deliver it in my own unique style”. He thoughtabout it for 5 seconds and said, “You’re right!” So it happened!

I’m not even a Hung Gar stylist but after the movie came out,everybody thought I was the founder! I don’t know any Hung Garmartial art friends of mine from all over the world got calls fromtheir friends who studied Hung Gar saying, “Oh, you know heknows Hung Gar! This guy must have trained in Hung Gar fordecades. He’s a master!”

It’s just the same with Jackie Chan! Jackie likes the PakMei system and once that got out, all his fans wanted tofind a school that taught it. Now, what about the shadow-less kick? That surprised a lot of people!

The shadow-less kick was more of a visual trick. I performedit in a slightly different way from ‘Once Upon A Time’. Tsui Harkdid a multiple camera take of Jet performing the shadow-lesskick in ‘Once Upon A Time’, and edited it. It was all editing, andit used a wire.

My approach was to slow the camera down to 14 frames persecond. At first he was skeptical, saying, “Wouldn’t that make itvery jumpy when run at normal speed?” I replied, “Not if wecome up with a fine line between overly jumpy and delivering thetechnique.” I suggested that the person being kicked must stayrigid. I stayed rigid too, with only my knees and foot moving. Thisallowed us to crank it down. So we gave it a try, saw the rushesand agreed that it worked. We loved it!

Everybody has different approaches. Jackie, Jet and myselfeach needs to know how to emphasise our strengths. Jet Li is WuShu, so he emphasises his wonderful, beautiful Wu Shu poses.With Jackie, it’s all those amazing acrobatics, gimmicks and doingthings no-one else can do. He focuses on those!

My personal approach is to focus in on the purity of martialarts. I use very basic punch and kicks and you can see that someof my choreography is not that complicated. It’s the rhythm andhow I deliver these techniques.

THE FINAL PART OF THIS INTERVIEW WILL APPEAR IN THENEXT ISSUE OF COMBAT


COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:43 Page 45

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COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:43 Page 47


COMBAT FILMBy Phil Hobden http://combatfilm.blogspot.com

Forbidden Kingdom marks the first onscreenpairing of martial arts film legends Jackie Chanand Jet Li, and I was somewhat reticent towatch this film given that, in my opinion, it’sabout 10-15 years too late to see Jackie and Jetface off against each other in their prime. This,added to the fact that the film to showcase thismilestone in martial arts movie history was tobe directed by Rob Minkoff, who directedStuart Little and Haunted Mansion, and that the co-star MichaelAngarano who, while a good actor, is not known for his martialarts prowess didn’t leave me expecting much. HoweverForbidden Kingdom defied my expectations.

The film works very well as a combination of fantasy periodKung Fu movie and a rites of passage, coming of age drama. Thewriting and acting service the story particularly well andAngarano is a likeable lead who has got a certain amount ofonscreen fighting ability. The film also marks probably the firsttime that Jackie has actually given an an actual acting perfor-mance in an English language film, instead of just “being Jackie”,which makes a refreshing change, especially following on fromthat blood-boilingly awful Woolworths’ advert. Li Bing Bing givesa splendid performance and brings some much needed soul toher character, and Collin Chou makes for a suitably hissable vil-lain, easily eclipsing his rather boring character in Flashpoint.

Jackie and Jet both play dual roles and pull them off withaplomb, Jet especially enjoying his role as the mischievousMonkey King. Martial arts fans will also be pleased to hear thatYuen Woo Ping has put together some truly stand-out fightsequences for the film. Overall the film stands up well, has anengaging visual style, and the story is simple and well told withsome good training sequences as Angarano’s character istrained by Jet and Jackie to become a Kung Fu warrior. Theonly criticism I can really level at the film is that true long-timefans will be able to tell when Jackie and Jet are being doubled,which happens a lot in the film, especially in the stand-out set-piece where Jackie and Jet duke it out.

FILM - 3.5/5 ACTION - 4/5If you liked this try: Drunken Master 2, Fist of Legend, Once Upon a Time in China, Project A

FEATURED REVIEW by Ross Boyask

Forbidden Kingdom

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:44 Page 48


Well this is a turn-up for the books. Don’t let the action movie fruit machine-style title fool you,as this is one of Seagal’s best efforts of recent times. We won’t labour on the plot as it has littlebearing on the film, but Seagal looks in comparatively good shape and as far as I could tell hedid most of his own action, all of which is crisp, clean and well staged.

In fact the action scenes really are very well shot and edited and it is good to see the bigman in action against the many handy thugs and henchmen that assail him throughout the film.The supporting cast are solid, with Lance Henriksen’s cameo being the obvious stand-out. Thefilm is a touch anti-climactic and you do feel that in the last reel the storylines that have beenset up just fizzle to nothing, but that’s not actually as bad as it sounds.

This is a polished effort, generally well made, and contains some of Seagal’s best fight scenes in a longtime. Recommended for fans, but also for those who have lost their faith in straight-to-DVD actioners.

FILM - 2.5/5 ACTION - 3.5/5

If you liked this try: Out For Justice, Hard to Kill, The Glimmer Man

PISTOL WHIPPED by Ross Boyask

Kiltro is an innovative, violent and stylish action film from Chile that combines aclassic martial arts story with elements of the spaghetti western and epic melodra-ma genres. The story follows Zamir, a troubled street fighter who must learn tocontrol his anger and master his art if he is to defeat his nemesis and win theheart of the woman he loves. Marko Zaror gives an impressive performance in thelead, balancing spectacular fighting skills, with a strong emotional performance.Although the tone is a bit hit and miss, as a result of crossing so many different

genres and styles, there is a lot here to enjoy from the impressively exe-cuted long takes to the slick, violent fight scenes. Overall there is nothing new here and it does outstay its running timewith an overlong first half, but where the film really shines is in the finalclimactic battle - easily one of the best action sequences of recentyears.

FILM - 4/5 ACTION - 3.5/5

If you liked this try: Ong Bak, District 13, Once Upon a Time in the West, Tears of the Black Tiger

KILTRO by Chris Regan

To celebrate the release of the Jet Li/Jackie Chan film FORBIDDEN KINGDOM Lionsgate has 5 ‘Forbidden Kingdom’goody bags to give away (including posters, branded T-shirts, jelly sumo action figures and MORE!).

All you have to do to win this is tell us the answer to this VERY simple question…

Who starred alongside Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon 4?a ) Jet Li [b ) Jackie Chan [c ) Chow Yun Fat

Answers via email to [email protected] where we will pick five winners at random.

Returning years later, in First Blood Part 2, he would sendhim back to ‘Nam to look for POW’s. In Rambo 3 he wasback to rescue an old colleague, and in the process tookdown the invading Russian armies. Most recently Rambojust wanted a quiet life, but ends up cutting a bloody paththrough Burma to rescue some do-gooders instead.

Four films. One hell of a legacy. The Rambo movieshave become films of legend. A classic character, takingon impossible odds doing what he believes is right andjust. The name Rambo is no longer just a character - it’s aby word for tactics of military aggression or a person whoshows great heroism through the use of violence or mili-tary/defensive skills.

The legacy of these movies goes even further - Rambocomputer games (four no less) and the animated TV seriesRambo: The Force Of Freedom (minus blood and throatripping of course). Stallone created something that isnothing less than a cultural icon.

With this recent DVD release of the new RAMBO movie,and the re-release of the original three movies on DVD &Blu-Ray, COMBAT thought it was an apt time to catch upwith a couple of the key players from the recent movie -this month Stanimir Stamatov stunt man and Stallone’s stuntdouble for the movie and next month the films specialeffects veteran Alex Gunn. In addition we will cast oureyes lovingly back over each of the previous three films...

So get your survival knife ready, put on your camouflagepaint and bed down under a pile of leaves as we cele-brate the film phenomenon that is the Rambo Quadrilogy.

DOUBLING UPAn Interview with Stanimir Stamatovby Ross Boyask

Standing 1.82 meters tall, hailingfrom Bulgaria, Stanimir Stamatov isone of the industry’s best unknownfaces. With almost 100 film and TVshow credits to his name chancesare, if you’re a fan of the genre, you

have seen him on screen more than a few times. But likemost of those heroes of movies, Stanimir’s job is remaininvisible. After all you WANT to believe it was Jean-Claude Van Damme performing that stunt don’t you? Butchances are it wasn’t, chances are it was our manStanimir.

Since 1997 Stanimir Stamatov has quickly establishedhimself as a leading stunt performer and double for someof the industry’s best known names and that trend contin-ued when most recently he doubled for Stallone onRambo. COMBAT caught up with Stanimir as he preparefor his new movie to talk Rambo and have a look backover what is already an impressive career...


RAMBORREETTRROOSSPPEECCTTIIVVEE ppaarrtt 11Introduction by Phil Hobden

John Rambo - Vietnam veteran & decorated war hero. You knowthe guy - returned from fighting in Vietnam only to find that back inthe U.S. many American civilians had turned on the returning sol-diers... subjecting him to humiliation and embarrassment. It was inthe first movie, First Blood that Rambo would flip.

For more on RAMBO check out www.rambofilm.com

2007

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Combat Film continues it’s in depth chat with action director, stunt manand sometime actor Jude Poyer. This month we talk Hong Kong, the difference between big and small budgets and other people’s movies...

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:44 Page 58

So if you had a choice... high Budget but less creativecontrol or lower budget and more creative control.Which do you prefer? And what are the different chal-lenges of each?

Of course it’s nice to have a good amount of control andresources. Many Hong Kong action directors (better than I) whohave worked in the West have proved that they can achieve greataction with limited resources (but a lot of control), and only so-soaction scenes on much more expensive Hollywood films.

I don’t think it’s ever a good thing to have control for con-trol’s sake. It has to be inthe best interests of thefilm. Hong Kong stuntpeople aren’t just physicalperformers. They haveinput with the cameraangles and editing. Theyknow best how to shoot,execute and edit anaction scene because inHong Kong they have worked on a lot of productions, with bothmicro and big budgets, and they have learned different areas offilmmaking.

There are no unions in the Hong Kong film industry, so if astunt coordinator wants to operate the camera to best capture

a shot, he can. On one low budget film I did in Hong Kong,the cameraman was having trouble photographing an action,so after a couple of takes, the action director took the cameraand we got it in the next take. The cameraman was the sameguy who shot a lot of the action scenes for ‘Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon’, but he wasn’t offended. He said to the actiondirector “You really are a master!”

Generally, Hong Kong film sets have fewer egos andeveryone just wants to get the job done well. In the UK, I’vefound some cameramen and directors very receptive to sug-

gestions. They say “I’venot done much of thissort of filming, so I’mhappy to listen”.Occasionally, though,you’ll get a cameramanwho feels compelled toshoot it differently fromhow I suggest, just tryto make a point. So

now I make it very clear to directors. I tell them early on “Iwant this to look as good as it possibly can. Don’t be offend-ed when I make suggestions and I won’t be offended if youreject them.” I’d only put my foot down if I thought safetywas being compromised.


Jude Poyer on what itslike to live your dream...Part 2

Taking a punch from Yuen Biao

“”

If your peers are voting, politics can raise its head. Ifthe public are voting... well let’s just say I once saw

‘Demolition Man’ beat ‘Hard Boiled’ for the BestGunfight Award once, which of course is ludicrous!


Now if you are a big bruiser,then just one or twosledgehammer blows maybe enough to demolish the

opponent. But if you are a light-weight, perhaps taking on a largeropponent, then a whole series of pun-ishing blows may be necessary toachieve the same result.

You may be facing a good defen-sive fighter. He takes out everythingyou throw at him with his defensivescreen of blocks and evasions. In thiscase, you can either force him toswitch onto the offensive, or you cansubject him to such a pressure ofattack that just one slip is all that isneeded for a technique to get through.

And once he’s hurt, the next tech-nique may find it a bit easier to reachthe target.

So let’s look at some of the ingredi-ents of successful combination tech-niques.

First is the obvious one: that suc-cessive techniques must arrive on thetarget within an instant of each other.


TThhee SSeevveenn RRuulleess OOff......COMBINATION TECHNIQUESPlaying snooker is not just a matter of getting the ball into thepocket; it’s also about tee-ing up so the cue ball is well posi-tioned to take out the next pot. Itís the same with combinationtechniques! The opening technique - be it punch, strike or kick -tries to hit the target but coincidentally (and just as important-ly!) it sets up the next technique - so that hits the target too.

COMBAT0708 20/6/08 11:43 Page 68

Unless two punches arrive with theshortest of intervals between them, theopponent will see and deal with themas two separate techniques.

I might throw a snap punch (picB1) at your face. I actually do want topunch you on the nose, so my punchis correctly ranged, fast, and potentiallydangerous. You see this fist growinglarger in your field of vision, anddecide to do something about it.

DISGUISED

However, disguised by my fist in yourface is a short slide-up of my rear leg, so Ican lift off with a roundhouse kick to theside of your jaw (pic B2) . But if I delaymy kick, then you will see it coming andtake the appropriate countermeasures.

It is easier to fire off a fast volley ofpunches because these are each movingonly a short distance. It is not so easy tofire off kicks in quick succession becausethe legs just don’t work that quickly. Sothere’s the first rule: one technique mustfollow the next - but QUICKLY!

The second rule is that of targetseparation. By this I mean, aim thefirst technique at the face and the sec-ond at mid-section. This forces theopponent to shift attention from highto low, and this separation of targetcan prove a real problem for thedefender when a series of incomingtechniques has to be dealt with.

GUARDED

The third rule is to mix linear andcircular techniques. A straight punch tothe face produces the best window ofopportunity because your incoming fistcloses off the opponent’s vision. Aroundhouse approaching from the sidemay then slip in unnoticed. Combinethe second and third rules so you usea mixture of circular and linear tech-niques to widely separated targets.

The fourth rule is to use one tech-nique to set up the next - remember

our snooker analogy? Stand in leftfighting stance and thrust out a power-ful reverse punch into the opponent’sface. Really reach out and try to hithim on the nose with it. Even if youare wise and keep your own face backand guarded, your punch still takesweight off your trailing leg, and yourright hip may turn so far forward thatthe heel rises from the mat. This is anormal reaction, so use it to launch amid section roundhouse kick into theopponent’s floating ribs. Your weightis already off the back leg and yourhips are set up perfectly for the round-house kick. This means that the kickcan be delivered pretty quickly afterthe punch.

Observant readers will havenoted that the above example com-bines all the rules for good combina-tion so far discussed.

FEINTS

The fifth rule is that meaningful tech-niques must be used. This is particularly

important where feints are concerned. Feints are diversionary techniques

used to open a window of opportunityfor a more powerful following tech-nique. Snap punch/reverse punch is aperfect example of what I mean. But ifyour snap punch is wishy-washy orobviously short of the target, then theopponent will ignore it and concen-trate instead upon your followingreverse punch. So always make it lookto the opponent that you are reallyintending to clobber him with thatopening technique.

LINEAR

The sixth rule concerns technique/range selections. The opponent is goingto do one of four things when youthrow your opening technique. First hemay step into your opening technique.This is not likely to happen if you usedan effective linear technique that goesdirectly into him. Second, he may stepback from your opener, increasing thedistance between the two of you...


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Training methods, equipment andaids will naturally vary dependingon the martial art style, instructoror element being shown and of

course the desired end result or outcomeof the session. Pad and bag work can serveas an essential training aspect of any martialart due to gaining the sense of striking a tar-get in a controlled and specific manner. Keyphysical elements of speed, strength, stami-na and flexibility as well as the attributes offocus/precision, timing and distance can allbe developed and established using trainingpads and bags.

The training drill shown this month is ahand set performed on focus pad targetswhich came from my time spent boxing. Itis a massively versatile drill which can usedand adapted to suit specific training needs.

TECHNICAL ANALYSISAll training sessions should have a spe-

cific goal or desired outcome and over thecourse of a week, or appropriate timescale, sessions should rotate to involve spe-cific needs, for example - speed and

strength workouts ideally will be deliveredin different sets and will require differentwarm ups and downs as well as stretchesand so on.

Hand speed and striking can deriveand develop from a number of exercisesand drills, as will strength and power, but itis also important to remember that block-ing and evasive drills can also be workingwith focus pads as well as movement andfootwork. For higher level training thesimultaneous use of all elements can beincorporated.

Whilst performing the following drillgood body form, posture and balance mustbe maintained throughout for the efficientdelivery of the strikes and movements.Stance and guard may vary depending onyour training style.

Pad holder (left) - Tim SpilsburyPerformer (right) - John Swift

1. Assume a suitable guarding position2. Lead jab - keep your chin and elbows

tucked in

3. Reverse punch - don’t fully extend thepunch whilst striking as the elbow jointis subject to over or ‘hyper’ extension

4. Lead jab5. Reverse punch6. Slip right - A slip can be used in a

number of situations and drills in orderto evade and quickly counter youropponents strike; it can also be usedwith a palm pushing or checking typemovement for extra efficiency. Withthe ‘slip’ element ensure you can seeyou opponent and do not drop yourupper body too low, as you could thenbecome subject to knee strike coun-ters. Also, if the opponents strike ismore circular than straight a ‘bob andweave’ style movement may be a bet-ter option.

7. Reverse punch8. Slip left9. Lead jab10. Reverse punch11. Lead upper cut - strength can even be

generated from the legs 12. Reverse punch


PAD WORK

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13. Lead hook punch - twist / torsion ofthe hips and upper body will ensure aKO finish!

As discussed, this is a highly flexiblehand drill as the first 4 movements willallow for speed, the middle section forevasive skills and countering and the last 4movements are to encourage setting andknocking out. As with all the drills I deliverwith my students and instructors, they canbe broken down into smaller mini sets and

delivered as short bursts or connected formore of a fitness style set.

Adding variety to your training - The ‘wonders of the pyramid’

For those unfamiliar with the term‘pyramid’ it normally refers to the stackingor reducing of a drill, techniques and exer-cises, for example building the above men-tioned drill one move at a time, each timestarting from the beginning and adding 1movement.

A club favourite is the building up of afixed drill but to include exercises in betw-een each tier of the pyramid i.e. 1 move /1 press up, 2 moves / 2 press up etc, theyalso enjoy it when we come back down!

Look out for next month where I shallbe discussing some more pad and bagbased training ideas and techniques.

For more info feel free to contact Johnvia email on [email protected] ortelephone 01562 827437. Alternatively visithis website at www.vervemartialarts.co.uk


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I f you are trying to find a piece ofhome gym equipment thatprovides a low impact workoutand helps with general body

conditioning, then the cross-trainercould be the answer.

Cross-trainers use a smooth ellipticalmotion to simulate walking andstepping, which boosts your heartrate and gets the muscles working.Almost all cross-trainers havehandlebars, which movesimultaneously with the pedals, towork both the upper and lower bodyin one training session. The beauty ofthese machines is that, due to their

low impact, smooth motion, they aresuitable for most people, as theydon’t put too much strain on yourjoints. So if you tend to suffer fromjoint problems especially with kneesand ankles, the cross-trainer is theway to go.

When considering buying a cross-trainer it is essential to look at thevarious elements that are importantfor a top performance.

LOCATIONFirstly, consider where you will be

using the equipment as the cross-trainer takes up a fair amount of

space and most models (except thevery basic) require a power supply.Also if noise is a factor, make surethat you choose a model with acovered fly wheel, which will tend tomuffle the sound. Talking of the flywheel, as a general rule of thumb, alarger fly wheel will give you a better,smoother performance.

THE FRAMEThe frame is an aspect of a cross-

trainer, which is often overlooked.Due to the strain on the machine,during use, the strength of the frameis very important, and as with muchin life you get what you pay for.


Cross TrainerCross TrainerCross TrainerCross TrainerCross TrainerThink carefully - choose wisely!In this series we have been looking at home gym equipment, to supplementyour dojo work-out. This month we are featuring the cross-trainer

COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:45 Page 76

RESISTANCEThere are two forms of

controlling the resistance on thesemachines; manually by turning aknob or, more commonly,electronically on a digital controlpanel. By increasing the resistancethe stride movement will be comeharder, which in turn increases yourheart rate. It is usually the cheapermodels that have a manualresistance. Electronic resistance issimple to use and often works with aheart rate control programme. Thiswill automatically change theresistance and intensity of theworkout to keep you in your targetheart rate zone.

HEART RATE CONTROLHeart rate control means that

your heart rate is monitored often bypulse sensors in the handlebars or awireless chest strap Many of theexercise programmes in the consolewill include a heart rate control. Thiswill automatically adjust theresistance to increase your heart rate,keeping it in line with your chosengoal. This is particularly valuable ifyou are trying to lose weight anddon’t want to worry about your heartrate, which ideally needs to be in aspecific target zone for best results.Models with heart rate monitors areusually more expensive but if in yourbudget are definitely worth theexpense, as they eliminate the guesswork and the need to manuallyincrease levels while training.Regardless of price most models willhave a pulse monitor.

PROGRAMMESCross-trainers often come with a

wide array of programmes, whichprovide specific workouts such as fatburning or endurance. Many modelsalso have features which enable youto customise your own workoutprogrammes to suit your targets forthe day.

WHEN USING THE CROSS TRAINER

1) Warm-up and stretch yourmuscles, especially those in thecalf.

2) Place your feet centrally on thefoot pedals.

3) Avoid excessive rotationalmovement from your waist inorder to push the hand leversforward.

4) Aim for larger controlledmovements, rather than a smalljerking action, using your arms tohelp control the speed and assistthe legs during the workout.

5) Set the resistance level to thecorrect setting, too easy and youwill get insufficient workout, toohard and you will be straining.Aim to look forward and standtall throughout.

6) Travel in a forward motion asexcessive speed travellingbackwards carries the risk ofhamstring muscle injuries.

7) Have a towel and drink of waterclose by.


For the purpose of compiling thisarticle we used one of York Fitness

Cross-Trainers and they can becontacted on: 01327 701852 or

visit www.yorkfitness.com

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Motonobu Hironishi, who then held thehighest rank of 4th Dan. Even thoughMitsusuke found the lesson “very, very,difficult”, he paid his enrolment fee forthe month, as he had decided that Karatewas what he wanted.

During this period, Masters Hironishi,Hayashi, and Uemura took lessons. Oneor two evenings a week the influentialYoshitaka Funakoshi would teach. Eventhe old Master - Gichin Funakoshi wouldteach on occasions. Tragically, theShotokan was destroyed during Americanbombing raids in 1945. Mitsusuke thenwrote to Gichin Funakoshi, requesting hebe taken on as a private student at hishome. O’Sensei agreed, and for a timeMitsusuke trained, under the watchful eyeof the Master. He then, entered WasedaUniversity in 1948.

In the early fifties as a young man, hecame under the influence of MastersShigeru Egami and Tadao Okuyama; thesemen greatly influenced his Karate devel-opment. Harada trained one to one withEgami for 3 hours daily, 7 days a week.This continued for nearly 2 years, and wasa great period of experimentation and

development for the innovative MasterEgami. However, soon after this periodEgami fell ill; as a result, Harada alone,had physically experienced these impor-tant new developments. After graduatingwith at Masters degree in Commerce in1955, Harada worked for a Tokyo bankand in 1956 he went to Sao Paolo, Brazil,to work at the Bank of South America.

Whilst in Brazil, under the instructionof O’Sensei, he set up the Karate-doShotokan Brazileo, the first organisationof its kind in South America. As anendorsement of Master Funakoshi’s faithin him, Mitsusuke Harada was awardedhis 5th Dan at the age of only 28. Afterseveral years in Brazil, Harada took anextended leave of absence, and travelledto Europe in 1963.

Initially in France, Master Haradainstructed some courses at the request ofothers involved in the Martial Arts, butafter some troubled times, he came toGreat Britain later in 1963; at the invita-tion of Kenshiro Abbe, the extremely high-ly respected Judo and Aikido Master. Afterappearing in a Martial Arts exhibition atthe Albert Hall in November of that year,Master Harada was in demand to teachKarate in Britain. Master Harada madeBritain his home, and became the first res-ident Japanese instructor to teach in theU.K. A small local group soon began togrow into a national organisation. So, in1965 he formed the KDS (Karate-doShotokai); this organisation soon expand-ed throughout Great Britain and Europe.

Today, 35 years since Master Haradaformed the KDS, he resides in SouthWales and still regularly travels all overEurope and the U.S.A. teaching his uniqueway. Having recently had a book pub-lished about his life story. In 1998 HaradaSensei achieved a lifelong ambition, bytaking a representative group of his KDSstudents to the Shotokan dojo in Tokyo.

At an international exhibition to cele-brate the birth of his teacher-GichinFunakoshi, and the formation NipponKarate-do Shotokai, Master Harada andhis KDS students made a “great impact”at the birthplace of Karate-do. This dis-play achieved a lifelong ambition forMaster Harada. Allowing the Master tocome full circle in his illustrious careerin Karate.

Mitsusuke Harada was born inDairen on the southern tip ofManchuria. The first son ofYutaka and Haru Harada, his

Japanese parents whom had moved toChina, as a result of Yutaka’s employmentwith the South Manchurian Railway. As aresult of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria,prior to the end of the Second World War,The Harada family returned to Japan, tak-ing up residence in Tokyo. It was here,that the young Mitsusuke began his illus-trious career in the Karate. Due to hisinterest in the martial arts, as a result ofexposure to Tai Chi Chuan whilst inManchuria, the young Mitsusuke hadrequested that his father look out for adojo on his behalf. Yutaka returned withthe address of the famous Shotokan.

In November of 1943 MitsusukeHarada, at the age of 14, took his firstKarate lesson at the Shotokan. The first pur-pose built Karate dojo in Japan, construct-ed in 1936, as a result of the great efforts ofMaster Gichin Funakoshi, the founder ofJapanese Karate-do, and his students.

Mitsusuke’s first introduction to Karatecame in the form of the powerful, Master

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MITSUSUKEHARADA

1928 - (Karate)

Martial Arts Pioneers

Daigaku Karate Kai (DKK) is well-known as a traditional Goju-Ryu Karate school, so how did DKK Fighters come about?

In all honesty, it came about in quite an organic way. I’venever been a fan of semi-contact tournament although I do seebenefits in terms of speed, distance, timing etc. My problem isthat as a Goju practitioner, I’ve never really seen how you canapply the underlying principles of hard and soft (Go and Ju), in asemi-contact bout. Goju Ryu is, and always has been, a close-quarter combat system and as such, the semi-contact format justdoesn’t suit the style - it’s simply too limited in terms of the tech-niques you are allowed to use, and too far away in terms of thedistance you are required to fight from.

Despite that, we do hold an annual tournament where the lowgrades fight in a semi-contact format. The middle grades use hardercontact and the high grades fight non-stop, full contact. We have asimilar approach to the grappling side of things. Unlike a lot ofJapanese styles of Karate, a great deal of traditional Goju Ryu isabout grappling and it is trained in a similarly progressive manner.

As a traditional Karate system, we also have the grading sys-tem so our guys are used to facing fear, stepping up to the mark,and taking a beating on a fairly regular basis - the step into thecage is therefore more extreme, but it really isn’t anything partic-ularly new or different.

Over the years, we had a few guys fight in NHB and cagetype events but it was really Neil Grove who stepped up onenight and declared his interest in fighting in the cage. This wasnot entirely unexpected. Karate is supposed to be about facingchallenges and facing your fears and if you are training peopleproperly, they are eventually going to want further challengesand to want to test themselves in extreme environments - theyare inevitably going to look to the cage.

The cage is simply the modern arena where that can be mosteloquently done. But it’s worth bearing in mind that it’s onlythe arena and the hype that is new - everything else is ancient.People have been fighting without rules for a sight longer thanthey have been fighting with them.

So does everybody at DKK have to fight in MMA?No, not at all. In fact, the guys that do choose to fight in the

cage are not even necessarily our best fighters. Everybody fights

in some format, but the cage is not for everybody. I can trainfighters up for that test if that’s what they want to do, but Iwould never pressurise anyone into the cage that didn’t want tobe there. DKK Fighters really came about as a sub-brand toDaigaku Karate Kai (DKK) and was to make it clear to our peo-ple that it is there if they want it, but there is no pressure tocompete whatsoever. That and to make it easier for theannouncers to get the pronunciation right! That said, Mark Aplindoes a great job for Cage Rage and he’s the only one to pro-nounce both ‘Goju Ryu’ and ‘Edgelson Lua’ correctly!

Ah yes, we’ll come back to Edgelson Lua shortly. Has the club’straining changed as a result of you guys fighting in the cage?

No, not really. In the run up to a fight we tend to gear theclasses more towards sparring and grappling but there is no realdifference. The biggest difference is almost that you have toscale it down. Most, if not all, Western martial arts (boxing,wrestling, fencing, etc) are primarily concerned with fightingone-on-one. The Eastern arts spend a lot more time learning todeal with two or more people at once.

Once a week we run a specific DKK Fighters session wherewe train without Gi’s and gloved up but to be honest, it’s reallyonly the clothes that change, not the training.

What do you say to people that tell you ‘that’s not karate’?They are wrong. People’s misconceptions about Karate run

deep and I have to say that a great many of the criticisms lev-elled at it are well deserved. A lot of what now passes itself offas Karate is total nonsense. And yet, they make a lot of moneyat it. They use karate-like drills, but have no idea how to con-vert those drills into a coherent fighting system. It is in theirinterests to stake a claim to the ‘Karate’ title and try to twist his-tory to serve their own ends. But regardless of what these peo-ple say or do, at the end of the day, original Karate was an all infighting system and that’s the system we still train in today.

Unfortunately, it happens to all systems and it will happen toMMA too, because when something is good and tough - likeMMA is today and Karate was yesterday - everyone wants to doit. By definition that means that it starts with good, tough peo-ple and gradually weakens as all and sundry jump on the band-

FROM THE DOJOTO THE CAGEGavin Mulholland on how he’swinning the MMA race!Combat Hall of Famer, Gavin Mulholland is well known as the Chief Instructor of the Daigaku Karate Kai(DKK) based in Central London, UK. In recent times however, he has also made something of an impacton the MMA scene by taking traditional karate into the cage under the DKK Fighters banner, with ahigh degree of success. As Cage Fighting and Traditional Karate do not often appear in the samebreath these days, we talk exclusively to Gavin Mulholland to find out how he is making this happen.


COMBAT0708 19/6/08 18:46 Page 87

wagon and start to open so-called Karate clubs, or a so-calledMMA clubs. Look what happened to Kickboxing. When kick-boxing started to take off in the ‘80’s we all knew of third ratepurple and brown belts who disappeared and re-emerged as 3rdDan kickboxing instructors overnight. When someone today tellsyou they do Kickboxing they could mean anything from ThaiBoxing (which is what most want you to think) to Boxercise(which is far more likely). It’s not that there isn’t still goodKickboxing around, there is, and some of it is awesome - it’s justincreasingly hard to find. It’s the same with Karate. There is awhole lot of dross to sift through before you find a decent placeto train.

All of our training is based around the Kata. We train usingtraditional methods and traditional equipment (hojo undo). Wefollow a traditional syllabus as laid out in the kata by the founderof Goju Ryu, Chojun Miyagi. Whether people like it or not,what we do is traditional Karate. It works in the dojo, it workson the door, it works on the street, and it works in the cage.

You have a couple of fighters who have competed suc-cessfully in the Octagon. Can you tell us a bit about them,starting with Neil ‘Goliath’ Grove.

Neil is a great guy. Very competitive and at six foot seveninches and 22 stone, very very big! I first met Neil back in 2000when he was working on the door of one of London’s seediernightspots. Following what he now refers to as a ‘major inci-dent’ at the club, I got a call to go in and work with some, shallwe say, overly aggressive doormen. Following that session Neilturned up at the dojo a few weeks later. He joined DKK inMarch of 2000 and was graded to Shodan (Black Belt) five yearslater in 2005.

Neil had been wanting to test himself in the cage for sometime so he went down to the guys at Medway Submissions andthey sorted him out with his first fight in November 2006. Hewon by TKO in just 55 seconds of round one.

His second fight was against Denniston Southerland andalthough much smaller than Neil, he put up a hell of a fight andit was a much tougher fight all round. It went into the secondround where Neil again won by TKO but it was a real wake upcall for Neil to put more cardio into the mix.

It was at that point that everything changed for us and wegot a call from Dave O’Donnell of Cage Rage. Pride star James‘Colossus’ Thompson was due to be fighting UFC legend KimoLeopoldo but he had pulled out and they needed someone bigto take his place. This was Thursday night and it meant that wehad two days to prepare for the biggest fight in Neil’s life.

It was obviously too late to do anything physical so it was allmental preparation. Neil’s original plan was to take it to tworounds but having seen Thompson fight, I knew he didn’t havethat sort of time. I convinced Neil that this was not a 15 minutefight, it was a one minute fight - like all the ones he was used toon the door, and that was ours strategy.

That first big fight was terrifying but Neil stuck exactly to thegame plan and steamed into Thompson as soon as the bell went. Ithink Thompson was a bit shocked as Neil had him backing up fromthe start. Neil landed a huge right hand that saw Thompson outcold. It lasted just 10 seconds and we were ecstatic by the victory.

Cage Rage has been criticised for all the dancing girlsand the unprofessionalism of the presenters. How haveyou found them to deal with?

I know what people mean about the girls and the hype but Ithink they are great. They love to see stand-up fights much morethan say, the UFC, but I think that’s a British trait. The USA hasa tradition of collegiate wrestling that we just don’t have in thiscountry. We as a nation are just more interested in stand-upfights and Cage Rage caters for that.

I think Dave O’Donnell is very genuine about matching upfighters for interesting and skilful fights - especially in the

Contenders series where it must be almost impossible seeing asyou often have little or no footage of the fighters involved. Wehave even had to fight a couple of guys from his own gym, EliteFighting Systems, and there was never a hint of him mis-matchingfighters or anything, and never any feelings of bias or animosityinvolved whatsoever.

I think their position as the premier cage fighting organisationin the UK is both well-founded and well-deserved.

Okay, so I guess that put’s Neil at three wins and no loss-es. What happened next?

Next up was the Croatian Kick-boxer Domagoj Ostojic. Weknew this guy was really dangerous and had seen him knockingpeople cold with lightning fast and powerful kicks. Basically, weknew we didn’t want to stand with him so the strategy was slightlydifferent.

Neil again took the fight right to Domagoj from the start. Hebelly-to-belly suplexed the Croation, got him to the floor andpunched him out. Neil won again in just 34 seconds of roundone.

Three months later in December 2007 at Cage Rage 24, Neilstepped up to fight Cage Rage favourite Robert ‘Buzz’ Berry. InRobert’s own words, he fought the fight of his life and was the first(and so far only) man to put Neil on the canvas. Despite the factthat he dominated and won the first round, it had taken too muchout of him and he was unable to come out for the second round. Itwas a shame because everyone had seen Buzz win the first roundbut there was really only one outcome waiting for him if he hadstepped out again. He simply didn’t have anything left and I’mconfident that Neil would have KO’d him in the second. Soalthough we got the victory, it felt a bit hollow. Having said that,the safety of the fighters is paramount and Buzz made the rightdecision. He is a real gentleman and a professional and he madethe decision to live and fight another day. That other day came atCage Rage 25 when he KO’d Ken Shamrock. That was fantasticand we were all made up for him.

So at five wins, no losses, Neil was set to fight ex-BritishHeavyweight Champion, Rob Broughton. Now this was afight I would have paid to see!...


To read the rest of this article make sure you get your copy of fighters available from WH Smiths& all good newsagents

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UFC 85: Bedlam broadcast livefrom London’s O2 Arena onSaturday June 7th in spite ofsome serious problems before

ever any fighter stepped into the cage!First match of main card brought mid-

dleweights Brandon Vera and FabricioWerdum face to face. They began cau-tiously enough but then closed and joltedeach other with short punches beforemoving into a clinch, where Vera slammedin some effective knees. Werdum retaliat-ed by taking the fight to the mat and start-ed in on some ground-and-pound usinghis elbows to Vera’s body and head.

Vera was having none of that and usedhis legs to thrust Werdum away. Werdumgrabbed one of Vera’s legs but gotsmacked in the face for his trouble.Moving on, Vera’s hard left punch clearlyhurt Werdum but more so did the follow-ing elbow strike. No fool, Werdum closedquickly and took Vera to the ground again.

BUCKLEDMoving into a mount position,

Werdum began to punch Vera who cov-ered up to try and avoid serious damage.The referee stopped the bout and, muchagainst Vera’s loud protests, awarded thatfirst match to Werdum. A rematch isclearly needed here!

Middleweights Nate Marquardt andThales Leites came face-to-face for one ofthe best encounters of the evening - a factthat was far from apparent at the outset!

The fight took time to get under waybefore Marquardt surged forward on theattack - only to run into a hard right punchthat dropped him to the mat. Ooops!Losing no time, Leites dropped and wentfor the mount but Marquardt fought hisway back to half-guard and from there, tohis feet. Once up, he decided to givesome back and Leites’ knees clearly buck-led after a hard right uppercut.

Round two began with a clinch thatMarquardt turned to his advantage, takingLeites to the ground and kneeing him inthe head as he tried to get back up. Oneof Leites’ knees was on the mat as hetook the knee, so Marquardt lost a pointwhile Leites gained a much needed 5-minute rest.

BLEEDINGObviously angry at this, Marquardt

came out like a raging bull, taking Leitesto the mat and mashing his nose in a fear-some ground-and-pound. He followedthis with a hard right but against all odds,Leites managed to get back to his feet.Then Marquardt over-extended himself,rushing in - but being taken down andmounted by the bleeding Leites! This last-ed only a short while before Nate ‘TheGreat’ forced himself back to a half-guardand thence - to his feet.

Marquardt opened round three withsome good body shots before taking Leitesto the mat - but once again he over-reached himself and narrowly escapedLeites’ attempted triangle. Marquardt’sright elbow to the side of Leites’ head wastaken by the referee, Herb Dean, to be astrike to the back of the head, soMarquardt lost another point!

The two traded heavy punches beforeMarquardt again took Leites to the matfor some more ground-and-pound. ButLeites continued to show extremecourage, at one stage grabbingMarquardt’s leg prior to taking him down.Unfortunately for him, Marquardt saw itcoming, picked Leites up and used hishead as a pile-driver. What a match!

The outcome was anyone’s call, Iguess, though I had Nate down for thevictory. But I was wrong and the judgesgave the match to Thales Leites by majori-ty decision. Now this has to be arematch!

Another Main Card fight began withformer TUF Welterweight star Marcus‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ Davis throwingTUF colleague Mike ‘The Quick’ Swick -except that Swick got right back up andtook Davis down! Swick couldn’t get tothe position he wanted to finish the fightthough he did manage some seriousground-and-pound that got the claretflowing from Davis’s battle-scarred face.

TRIANGLEDavis managed a good hard left to

open the second round but Swick retaliat-ed with a hard head-kick followed by atakedown. Davis fought back hard andmanaged to regain his feet. From there heslapped in some good punches and

jammed his opponent up against thefence. The two traded punches and kneesbefore Davis got the next takedown.Swick nearly got him in a triangle butDavis got back to his feet, only to betripped and dropped to the mat again.Swick got to a side control position beforethe bell stopped the action.

Round three included some goodexchanges of punches though on balance,Swick threw the better ones. Davis man-aged a short-lived takedown and followedwith a second soon after - but Swickgrabbed the fence and lost a point for histrouble...


Vera vs Werdum

Davis vs Swick

To read the rest of this article why not take out a subscription bycalling +44 (0) 121 344 3737

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KKeeeepp IItt SSttaannddiinnggAA SSpprraawwll aanndd BBrraawwll GGuuiiddee

ffoorr MMiixxeedd MMaarrttiiaall AArrttssBy Glyn PowditchLevel: Basic PLUS

Glyn Powditch holds a 1st BSc

in Economics, Accounting and

Finance. He is a martial artist

with nearly a decade of experi-

ence in martial arts, ...

‘‘

‘‘

Sprawl & Brawla Grapplers nightmare

COMBAT0708 20/6/08 08:59 Page 100

Sprawl and Brawl is the hottestthing in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)right now. Just ask fighters like for-

mer Ultimate Fighting Championship lightheavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

A kickboxer who prefers to stand andpick his opponents apart with strikesrather than grapple either standing or onthe floor, the ‘Iceman’ is one of the bestno holds barred fighters in the world, andyou can bet it’s because he knows howto stop the takedown.

Liddell may be known as a kickboxer,but not many people know that beforehe started training as a striker he compet-ed for many years in both high schooland college as a freestyle wrestler. Not allof us have the luxury to be able to spendthat long learning the intricacies of thegrappling arts.

If you’re a boxer or kickboxer whotrains in mixed martial arts, you’ll knowhow difficult it is to stop a determinedgrappler from putting you on your back.Once a submission artist has you on thecanvas, it can feel like you’re drowning inquicksand, with a choke or joint lock onlyseconds away.

For a striker, getting drawn into agrappling match is the last thing youwant. Even if you’re on top of youropponent, a skilled jiu-jitsu exponentcan still submit you from his guard, end-ing the fight and taking away the victoryyou wanted.

Learning how to wrestle is oneanswer, but it is only one answer to theanti-grappling conundrum; ‘Keep itStanding’ is another.

‘Keep it Standing’ is a revolutionarysprawl and brawl strategy, a cutting edgestyle of fighting that has found it’s wayinto cages and rings across the world.Everyone from aspiring fighters to sea-soned professionals are now using thishighly effective and easy-to-learn system.

The keys to staying on your feet andoff the mat are simple: good footwork,clean and controlled punches and aknowledge of how grapplers think. Eventhough it sounds simple, learning how toresist and combat a grappler’s game planis a subtle and complicated endeavour.

You’ll need to learn that distance isthe key to preventing the takedown, andthat footwork is what controls distance.Punching from a solid and stable, yetmobile base is paramount. One of thebiggest errors made by strikers is over-commital, putting everything into shots

that miss and allow a grappler theopportunity to take them down. If youfight with flat feet, you’re asking to betaken down.

If a grappler does get in range, thenthe last thing you want to do is grapplewith him. Even sprawling on your oppo-nent gives him what he wants - you’veentered his world now, a place whereyour strengths are negated and his willprevail. By entering into the grapplingphase you’re deviating from your strategy,and taking away your ability to knockhim out.

Resisting the temptation to clinch withyour opponent is another mistake madeby strikers. Even if you remain on yourfeet, clinching with a grappler allowsthem the opportunity to not only take

you down but to tie you up on the fenceor ropes and work for position. You can’tpunch somebody in the face with knock-out power when you’re chest to chest.

Simply put, if you want to defend thetakedown then you need to learn howto Keep it Standing. Leading mixed mar-tial arts coach and trainer of championsKarl Tanswell understands exactly whatyou need to do to keep it on the feet,and his DVD breaks down exactly whatyou need to know.

Keeping it on the feet is what all strik-ers want to do. If you’re a boxer or akickboxer who fights in mixed martialarts, or even a martial artist concernedwith realistic self defence applications,then you’ll want to discover the secrets tokeeping it standing.

COMBAT0708 20/6/08 09:00 Page 101


Congratulationsfrom all at Combat Magazine goes to...

Lee Hasdell from the SSJ Martial ArtsStudio, Milton Keynes on being

awarded his Kudo black belt fromMaster Azuma from Japan. Lee

already holds black belts in Jujitsu,Karate and Kickboxing.

The SGS & Torite TKD Club took ateam of 9 players to the Albion Sports

Centre, Derby for the CountyChampionships. They came away

with a host of results Morgan Creaseytook gold in the U16 coloured belt

section and team mate Liam Morrisontook silver. Paul Spencer making 4thplace in the Weapons U16 and Silverin the U16 black belt traditional pat-terns. In the Team events and with 3teams from the club there was also

some inter-club competition going on.In the U16s Jacob Chadwick-Dobson’steam took silver with Paul Spencer’s

team following behind taking Bronze.Morgan Creasey also took silver in the

under 4’4” points sparring.Not to be outdone, the 6th form

Torite team of Sarah Forth, HelenBoyd led by Josh Richardson took sil-

ver in the adult team forms. Finally, instructor John Burke came

back to compete after 4 mon-ths witha shoulder injury to take silver in theblack belt adult forms and gold in the

Veterans forms.

Battle Hill Judo took part in theNorthern Area Open JuniorChampionships in Redcar.

Winners’ are Kieran Tweedy (8)Gold u27g, Tonicha Brown (10)Gold u32kg, Tasmin brown (15)Gold u70kg, Frazer Burns (13)

u38kg and Callum Thompson (12)Silver u55kg

11 year old Jade Green of SouthOckendon who was the youngestmember of the squad from SeitouRyu Karate Club to achieve victory

at the Martial Arts InternationalCity Challenge Tournament,London v Munich, held in

Germany Sunday March 9th. Jadea brown belt came home with a

3rd place in Kumite.

Students from Douglas and StJohns took part in a grading week-end at St Johns primary school withguest examiner Grand Master TonyVohra 8th Dan and local examiner

Master Gun Lee. The studentsgraded for kup belts from beginneryellow tags up to red belt which isthe penultimate grade before black

belt. Special congratulations toAllan King, Rhys Barlow and JulieBurridge who are now red belts.

Nathan Ward, Leah Moorby,Natalie McSharry, Sam Plummer,

Dominic Williamson, AdamWhitaker, Connor Range, Robyn

O’Rorke and Rhiannon Taylor fromthe Strike TKD Club, Keighly, who

were successful graded.

Congratulations to Iain Walkerfrom Eikoku Satori Karate-Do

Kyokai on being awarded the dis-tinguished Student of the Year

Award, the award is a hand craftedglass tablet on which is engraved

the words, ‘for showing exception-al dedication, outstanding charac-

ter and genuine respect’.

Black belt grading success went toDaniel and Thomas Peacock who

after 3 and a half years training and4 hours of being on the gradingfloor, passed their Junior Black

belts. They were helped by 3 othermembers who were taking their

pre-black belt grading, Megan andJames Taylor and Matthew Edgoose,

all giving 110% throughout.

COMBAT0708 20/6/08 09:47 Page 102


Tasmin Brown (15) achieveddouble judo honours 24/25May achieving both clubcoaching and junior blackbelt status. Tasmin joinedthe Battle Hill ClubCramlington in 2004 and hashoned her skills as both astudent and assistant coach.Pictured with her are clubcoach Malcolm Young 3rddan and assistant coachKevin Corden 1st dan.

British Taekwondo teamwho enjoyed a successfulweekend competing at the29th Belgian OpenChampionships at BlosoSports Centre in Ghent,with a small team of 6,winning 2 gold and 2 silvermedals.

Proud members of SonbaeTaekwondo, Killamarsh, showing

their grading certificates andawards. Thanks go to Master PaulOxtoby for overseeing the gradingand all of the black belts and par-

ents for helping on the day.

To Roding Karate club who cameaway with 3 gold, 3 silver and 4bronze medals from the English

Karate Championships.

To the Galway Black DragonKickboxing club who were recentlycertified by the Irish Sports Councilin the Children in Sport “Code ofEthics’ by Sports Council turor Mr.Martin O’Malley from Castlebar.

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